Taiwanese Cancer Patient and Son Lose Rs 3.7 Crore in Predatory Spiritual Scam

The woman enrolled in a purported "spiritual growth course" in August 2013 (Representational)

A terminally ill Taiwanese mother and her son fell victim to an exploitative "spiritual" program, losing over NT$13 million (Rs 3.7 crore) after selling their home to fund their participation.

The woman, identified only by her surname Wang, joined what was marketed as a "spiritual growth course" in August 2013 while battling terminal cancer, according to a South China Morning Post report from October 19.

Her son subsequently enrolled in the same spiritual program in April 2021.

The scheme, which promised spiritual development and atonement, was operated by two women named Zhang and Chen. They charged NT$2 million (Rs 57 lakh) for an "Energy Purification Master" course and imposed penalties for non-compliance, such as missing phone calls.

Following the sale of their home, the mother contributed NT$6.8 million (approximately Rs 2 crore) while her son paid NT$6.5 million to the program.

Beyond financial exploitation, the allegedly spiritual practices included disturbing elements of coercion and humiliation. Participants were forced to kneel beside roads, lick other members' toes, and submit to forced same-sex marriages.

Wang and her son were pressured into same-sex "marriages" in 2021, after which they were forced to divorce and remarry within the group.

Wang was threatened with "horrible death" if she disobeyed instructions, a threat particularly effective given her terminal illness diagnosis.

In April 2024, mother and son initiated legal action, claiming they had been deceived and coerced. The court ruled in their favor, awarding compensation of NT$13.3 million (Rs 3.8 crore).

During legal proceedings, Zhang and Chen argued that Wang and her son had participated in the programs for a decade, which they claimed justified the exorbitant fees.

The two program leaders maintained that participation was entirely voluntary and that spiritual benefits could not be scientifically verified. It remains unclear whether the two women face criminal charges.

In a separate incident, an elderly man in Mumbai was defrauded of approximately Rs 9 crore by four women—potentially a single person using multiple identities—through a romance scam spanning nearly two years and involving 734 online transactions.

The 80-year-old victim made 734 payments totaling Rs 8.7 crore between April 2023 and January 2025. After depleting his own resources, he borrowed Rs 2 lakh from his daughter-in-law and requested Rs 5 lakh from his son to continue payments to the scammers.